Note: The Curriculum Statement was retired in 2024 (the last statement is available online.) The official record of Puget Sound's undergraduate curriculum is now part of the "Undergraduate Programs and Degrees" section of the University Bulletin. That section of the 2024-25 Bulletin is reproduced below.

 

UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS AND DEGREES

General Considerations

The University of Puget Sound, as an academic community, is dedicated to the pursuit and exchange of ideas, emphasizing the mission and educational goals of the University. It promotes the growth of individuals in their personal and professional aspects, fostering both critical thinking and self-reflection. The University's curriculum aims to provide a comprehensive liberal arts education, which includes specialization in a field, development of writing, speaking, and critical thinking skills, cultivation of creativity, understanding of contemporary issues, and an expanded view of human cultures and histories. This education equips individuals to confidently engage with ideas, face career challenges, and navigate the complexities of modern life. The curricular requirements are the foundational minimum of a liberal education, with advisors encouraging students to build on the essentials of the curriculum and to explore and broaden their knowledge through diverse fields of study.

Educational Goals for the University

A student completing the undergraduate curriculum will be able to

  1. think critically and creatively;
  2. communicate clearly and effectively, both orally and in writing;
  3. develop and apply knowledge both independently and collaboratively;

and will have developed

  1. familiarity with diverse fields of knowledge and the ability to draw connections among them;
  2. a solid grounding in the field of the student’s choosing;
  3. understanding of self, others, and influence in the world; and
  4. an informed and thoughtful sense of justice and a commitment to ethical action.

Graduation Requirements & Curriculum Statement — Overview

Details on the first three of these requirements follow this overview. To receive the baccalaureate degree from the University of Puget Sound, a student must do the following:

  1. Complete University Core Requirements. Specific courses satisfying core requirements are listed on Puget Sound’s website and in the Bulletin. Specific courses applicable to the core will fulfill core requirements only during the semester(s) that they are officially listed in a Bulletin as fulfilling core. Courses taken credit/no credit will not fulfill core requirements.
    1. Two first-year seminars: one Connections course at the 100-level and one Critical Conversations Seminar (CCS) in writing and speaking
    2. Experiential Learning core
    3. Knowledge, Identity, and Power core (two KNOW courses; at least one at the 300-400 level)
    4. Two Connections classes above the 100-level
    5. Language requirement
  2. Complete the Divisional Requirement, which requires a one-unit* academic course in each Division. Courses taken credit/no credit will not fulfill Divisional requirements. To satisfy the Divisional Requirement, students must have:
    1. Satisfied the Arts & Humanities Division Requirement
    2. Satisfied the Social Science & History Division Requirement
    3. Satisfied the Natural Science & Math Division Requirement
  3. Complete the requirements for a Major field of study. Additional majors and/or minors are options for the student. Courses taken credit/no credit will not fulfill major requirements.
  4. Earn a minimum of 32 units. The 32 units may include up to 4 academic units graded credit/no credit, up to 2 units in activity courses, and up to 4 units of independent study (see regulations regarding grading options, transfer credit, and activity credit in the Academic & Administrative Policies section).
    1. A minimum of 16 units must be earned in residence at the University of Puget Sound. Residence requirements also exist in core, majors, minors, and graduation honors. (See also the section on study abroad.) Credit from approved study abroad programs is considered to be in residence credit.
    2. A minimum of 6 of the last 8 units must be earned in residence at the University of Puget Sound. Credit from approved study abroad programs is considered to be residence credit.
    3. Complete all incomplete or in-progress grades. All coursework must be finished by the last day of the graduation term.
  5. Maintain a minimum grade-point average (GPA) of 2.00 in all graded courses taken at Puget Sound, including transfer courses, and in the major(s) and the minor(s), if a minor is elected.
  6. File an application for graduation with the Office of the Registrar. Applications are due in September for graduation at the end of the next Spring, Summer, or Fall terms.

*0.67 unit minimum for transfer students.

University Core Requirements — Detailed

The Core Requirements at Puget Sound introduce students to the opportunities offered by a liberal arts education. These requirements provide students with a smooth transition to college academics, and a flexible, interdisciplinary education. By aligning with the college's mission and emphasizing exploration across the disciplines, the Core enhances students' critical thinking abilities, cognitive skills, and creativity.

Each core rubric consists of two sections, “Learning Objectives” and “Guidelines.” Faculty have developed the Guidelines section to achieve the particular Learning Objectives of the core rubric and, more broadly, the university’s educational goals. The Guidelines are intended to be used by faculty to develop core courses and the Curriculum Committee to review core courses. The Learning Objectives are intended to provide a clear statement to students of what they can expect to learn from any given core area. Although the Learning Objectives will assist the faculty in developing Core courses and meeting the Core area’s spirit, the Curriculum Committee will evaluate and approve Core courses based on their adherence to the Guidelines, not the Learning Objectives.

The First Year:

  • 100-level Connections: 1 unit
  • Critical Conversations Seminar: 1 unit

These first-year seminars may not be used to meet major, minor, or emphasis requirements, Divisional requirements, or other core requirements. Students may not enroll in them after fulfilling the requirement.

Years 2 through 4:

  • Experiential Learning Core: 0-1 unit (may fulfill major/minor/emphasis requirements, Divisional requirements, and other core requirements)
  • Knowledge, Identity, and Power Core: 2 units (may fulfill major/minor/emphasis requirements, Divisional requirements, and other core requirements)
  • Connections 200-400 level Core: 2 units (may fulfill major/minor/emphasis requirements, KNOW, and Experiential Learning requirements; may not count for the Divisional requirement)
  • Language Core: 0-2 units (may fulfill major/minor/emphasis requirements, Divisional requirements, and other core requirements; some students may be exempt or partially exempt — see below)

Full course descriptions for all Connections and Critical Conversations Seminar courses are in the “Courses of Study” section of this Bulletin.

To receive the baccalaureate degree from the University of Puget Sound, a student must do the following:

1. Complete the First-Year Seminars (Connections 100-level and Critical Conversations Seminar).

The first-year seminars at Puget Sound welcome students to an academic community that values the liberal arts and strives for justice and equity. In each seminar, a scholarly topic, set of questions, or theme provides a substantive context through which course learning objectives are achieved. Each seminar has distinct goals: the Connections 1xx introduces multidisciplinarity and helps students develop skills for academic success; and the Critical Conversations Seminar addresses student abilities to compose, contextualize, and collaborate through speaking and writing. These courses may only be taken to fulfill first-year seminar core requirements. All Connections 1xx and Critical Conversations Seminar courses are graded pass-fail.

Intended course offerings are Connections 1xx (100-level Connections courses) in the fall semester, and the Critical Conversations Seminar in the spring semester. Enrollment in the Critical Conversations Seminar, however, is not dependent upon a passing grade in Connections 1xx.

Connections 1xx Learning Objectives

As one of two foundational seminars in the Sound Connections curriculum, the Connections 100-level seminar welcomes students to the academic community at Puget Sound by integrating the introduction to the liberal arts with the development of skills for lifelong learning in diverse communities.

Through the introduction to the liberal arts, students:

  • Enrich their understanding of the course topic/theme/issue by exploring it from multiple disciplinary perspectives and developing appreciation for the distinct and complementary approaches inherent to different disciplines.
  • Develop an understanding of the Puget Sound liberal arts curriculum, including its structure and ethos.
  • Discover ways of identifying and pursuing academic interests.

To develop skills for lifelong learning in diverse communities, students:

  • Participate in collaborative learning and engagement that fosters community and cultivates a sense of belonging.
  • Develop skills for learning in and contributing to a diverse community that aspires to be equitable and inclusive.
  • Develop self-awareness regarding individually effective approaches to learning.

Connections 1xx Guidelines

The course's substantive theme provides context for an introduction to the multidisciplinarity of a liberal arts education and for the meaningful practice of skills for lifelong learning in diverse communities.

To introduce students to the liberal arts, this course:

  1. Explores meaningful examples of disciplinary and multidisciplinary inquiry grounded in the substantive theme of the course.
  2. Facilitates students’ exploration of their own Puget Sound curricular and co-curricular interests.
  3. Includes a student-directed collective project or similar collaboration that relates to the substantive theme of the course.

To develop skills for lifelong learning in diverse communities, this course:

  1. Integrates at least two activities supporting learning objectives 4-6 with the course theme.
  2. Incorporates collaborative assignments that foster connection and develop communication skills between and among students.
  3. Discusses self-care/wellness as a crucial element of an effective approach to learning.
  4. Includes activities that facilitate practice of academic success skills [such as fostering resilience, managing stress, forming effective study habits, or managing time and distractions]
  5. Integrates an iterative learning process in which students reflect on opportunities to try, redo, and reassess learning practices.

See “Connections” in the “Courses of Study” section of the Bulletin for a complete list of courses that fulfill this requirement.

CONN 1xx courses may not fulfill major/minor/emphasis requirements, Divisional requirements, nor other core requirements.

Critical Conversations Seminar Learning Objectives

As one of two foundational seminars in the Sound Connections Curriculum, the Critical Conversations Seminar addresses student abilities to compose, contextualize and collaborate through speaking and writing.

Composing

  1. Students practice purposefully contributing to a broader critical conversation by developing questions, listening to and learning from others, and sharing ideas and information, through a variety of written and spoken communicative media.
  2. Students learn to compose and speak flexibly and with integrity to address diverse audiences within and outside an academic context.
  3. Students engage in a substantive revision process with multiple drafts, demonstrating considered attention to feedback from others, and
  4. Students reflect on communicative resources (information, ideas, stylistic options, experiences, community-based knowledge) and how they might be used to achieve the goals for a particular project.

Contextualizing

  1. Students identify and appreciate how ways of knowing and creating meaning differ
  2. across multiple contexts, communities, and disciplines.
  3. Students recognize that communicators in different contexts use words, images, and sounds differently, and reflect on how to transfer skills from one context to another effectively.
  4. Students develop and amplify reading, listening, and research skills that help in finding, analyzing, and responding to varied sources (textual, visual, sonic, multimedia) and arguments thoughtfully and with integrity.
  5. Students engage with issues of authority, positionality, and bias when exploring sources, arguments, and ways of discovering, and consider the practical, political, and ethical implications of different approaches to communication.

Collaborating

  1. Students develop the ability to engage actively, collegially, and critically in a learning community through discussion, collaboration, peer feedback activities, and/or one-on-one conferences with the professor.
  2. Students develop the ability to give and receive constructive criticism, and articulate how this feedback contributes to learning and growth as a scholar and communicator.

Critical Conversations Seminar Guidelines

Composing

  1. Assign the equivalent of ca. 15-20 pages during the semester (including revisions); writing should take various forms
  2. Assign two scaffolded oral presentations of at least 5 minutes each (one group and one individual presentation)
  3. Discuss with students the Puget Sound Academic Integrity Policy and give students the opportunity to discuss implications and to ask questions without judgment about what is and is not considered acceptable practice.
  4. Assign a final portfolio that asks students to include selections of revised work from throughout the semester and reflect on their composing process

Contextualizing

  1. Include information literacy activities that introduce students to different kinds of sources.
  2. Include information literacy activities that require students to consider how we discover information and sources, and how we evaluate those sources for appropriateness for different purposes. Ask students to use a citation to locate the original source.
  3. Examine one or more examples demonstrating social construction of a scholarly field.
  4. Assign a weekly average of 60 pages or less of reading, and acknowledge that different kinds of reading require different levels of attention.

Collaborating

  1. Assign a group presentation of at least 5 minutes with 2 or more students.
  2. Include at least one class workshop with a CWL Writing/Speech Liaison.
  3. Include a structured Peer Review process.

See “Critical Conversations Seminar” in the “Courses of Study” section of the Bulletin for a complete list of courses that fulfill this requirement.

CCS courses may not fulfill major/minor/emphasis requirements, Divisional requirements, nor other core requirements.

2. Satisfy the Experiential Learning Core Requirement by completing either a zero-credit EXLN course (295-298) or a credit-bearing course that is approved to meet that requirement.

Experiences associated with the zero-credit courses that fulfill the requirement are approved by Curriculum Committee and the Office of Experiential Learning Programs and Support in one of the following categories:

  1. Internships. All internships approved through a learning agreement between the student, employer, and Career and Employment Services fulfill this requirement. Internships can occur during the semester or the summer.
  2. Study abroad/study away. Only study abroad and study away programs approved by the Office of International Programs fulfill this requirement, including faculty-led programs and third-party programs.
  3. Independent research, scholarship, and creative work. Participation in the University’s summer research, scholarship, and creative work program fulfills this requirement. Other independent research, scholarly, and creative experiences outside the traditional classroom, teaching laboratory, and teaching studio setting must be approved by the Office of Experiential Learning Programs and Support.
  4. Community-based learning. Community-based learning experiences supervised by Puget Sound faculty, staff members, or community partners, and approved by the Office of Experiential Learning Programs and Support fulfill this requirement.

Credit-bearing courses that fulfill the requirement are approved by the Curriculum Committee and the Office of Experiential Learning Programs and Support based on the following rubric:

Learning Objectives

Students satisfying the Experiential Learning requirement will

  • engage in direct experiences outside the traditional classroom, teaching laboratory, and teaching studio that allow them to integrate theory and practice in real-world contexts
  • reflect on how these direct experiences have shaped their academic growth and understanding of self, others, or the world
  • utilize flexible and sophisticated problem-solving skills to address unscripted problems

Guidelines

Courses that fulfill the Experiential Learning requirement

  • require students to spend at least 10 hours outside the traditional classroom, teaching laboratory, and teaching studio on course-related activities
  • require students to reflect in documented ways at appropriate intervals throughout the course
  • require students to apply ideas, theories, and skills to non-simulated, real-world situations
  • foster student agency through the independent navigation of ambiguous or indeterminate situations, requiring students to take initiative, make decisions, and learn from mistakes, successes, and consequences of decisions.
  • utilize experiential components of the course as central elements of overall course design and assessment of student performance

Experiential Learning courses may fulfill major/minor/emphasis requirements, Divisional requirements, and other core requirements.

The following courses have been approved to satisfy the Experiential Learning Requirement:

  • BIOL 472 Animal Behavior
  • BUS 380 Entrepreneurial Mindset for the Arts
  • BUS 482 Strategic Management and Consulting
  • CLJ 370 Prison Archives and Public Memories
  • COMM 292 Intercollegiate Debate
  • EDUC 290 Gender & Education
  • EDUC 292 Literacy in Schools: An Introduction
  • EDUC 294 Economic Inequality and Schools
  • EDUC 295 White Teachers Teaching Children of Color
  • EDUC 296 Using Children's and Young Adult Literature to Teach for Social Justice
  • EDUC 298 Using Primary Sources to Teach for Social Justice
  • EDUC 493 Teacher Research Practicum
  • ENGL 397 Humanities in the World
  • ENVP 200 Introduction to the Environment
  • ENVP 210 Fundamentals of U.S. Environmental Law and Policy
  • ENVP 350 Puget Sound Environmental Issues Part I: Politics and Public Participation
  • ENVP 351 Puget Sound Environmental Issues Part II: Laws and Land Use Designations
  • ENVP 352 Sustainability in Everyday Life
  • ENVP 357 Environmental Challenge
  • ENVS 315 Energy Resources
  • EXLN 295 Community-Based Learning Experience
  • EXLN 296 Internship Experience
  • EXLN 297 Study Abroad/Off-Campus Study Experience
  • EXLN 298 Summer Research Experience
  • EXLN 301 Telling Your Experiential Learning Story
  • GLAM 181 Rome Through The Ages: January in Rome
  • IPE 331 International Political Economy of Food and Agriculture
  • MUS 140 Music Education in American Schools
  • MUS 355 String Pedagogy
  • MUS 394 Introduction to Elementary Music Education
  • PHIL 497 Public Philosophy
  • PHIL 499 Ethics Bowl
  • PSYC 497 Practicum in Psychology
  • REL 307 Prisons, Gender and Education
  • SOAN 213 City and Society
  • SOAN 299 Ethnographic Methods
  • SPAN 319 Documentary Film, Social Movements and Human Rights
  • THTR 313 Directing
3. Satisfy the Knowledge, Identity, and Power (KNOW) Core Requirement by completing two courses that have been approved to meet that requirement, one of which must be taken at the 300 level or above.

Courses taken credit/no credit will not fulfill KNOW core requirements. The Curriculum Committee approves courses fulfilling the KNOW requirement based on the following rubric:

Learning Objectives

Courses in Knowledge, Identity and Power (KNOW) provide a specific site for students to understand the dynamics and consequences of power differentials, inequalities, and divisions among social groups and the relationship to the representation and production of knowledge. Students also develop their capacity to communicate meaningfully about power, disparity, and diversity of experiences and identities in these courses.

Guidelines

  1. These courses provide regular opportunities for students to engage in dialogue about issues of knowledge, identity, and power, and promote critical understanding of the causes, nature, and consequences of individual, institutional, cultural, and/or structural dynamics of disparity, power, and privilege.
  2. These courses require students to examine their own social positions and lived experiences, and make connections between themselves and course concepts related to disparity, power and privilege—whether local, international, global, historical, or contemporary in scope—in at least two substantive assignments that are part of the overall evaluation for the course.
  3. These courses require students to engage at multiple points during the semester with materials focused on issues of disparity, power, and privilege that were authored or created by historically marginalized individuals, and/or materials that directly engage with experiences or creative works of marginalized individuals or communities.
  4. KNOW courses may also fulfill other program or graduation requirements.

KNOW courses may fulfill major/minor/emphasis requirements, Divisional requirements, and other core requirements.

The following courses have been approved as satisfying the Knowledge, Identity, and Power requirement:

  • AFAM 101 Introduction to African American Studies
  • AFAM/ENVP 301 Environmental Racism
  • AFAM 304 Capital and Captivity: African Americans and the U.S. Economy
  • AFAM 310 African Diaspora Experience
  • AFAM 355 African American Women in American History
  • AFAM 360 The Art and Politics of the Civil Rights Era
  • AFAM/COMM 370 Communication and Diversity
  • AFAM 375 The Harlem Renaissance
  • AFAM 398 Methods in African American Studies
  • AFAM 400 The 1619 Project
  • ARTH 394 Interrogating Methods of Art History: From Artist Biographies to Global & Decolonizing Perspectives
  • ASIA 325 Chinese Cinema: Ideology and the Box Office
  • ASIA 344 Asia in Motion
  • BUS 365 Cultural Diversity and Law
  • COMM 361 Organizing Difference
  • COMM 372 Contemporary Media Culture: Deconstructing Disney
  • EDUC 419 American Schools Inside and Out
  • EDUC 420 Multiple Perspectives on Classroom Teaching and Learning
  • ENGL 238 Afrofuturism
  • ENGL 242 Introduction to Native American Literature
  • ENGL 247 Introduction to Popular Genres
  • ENGL 250 Introduction to Literary and Critical Theory
  • ENGL 371 History of the English Language
  • ENGL 372 History of Rhetorical Theory
  • ENVP 326 People, Politics, and Parks
  • ENVP 343 Buddhist Environmentalisms
  • FREN 260 Cultures of the Francophone World
  • FREN 381 African Women Writers
  • GDS/IPE 211 Introduction to Global Development
  • GERM 355 Culture in the Third Reich
  • GLAM 322 Race and Ethnicity in the Ancient World
  • GLAM 323 Sex and Gender in Ancient Greece and Rome
  • GLAM 330 Theories of Myth
  • GQS 201 Introduction to Gender, Queer, and Feminist Studies
  • GQS 220 What is Queer? The Politics and Practices of Fashioning the Self
  • GQS 320 Queerly Scientific: Exploring the Influence of Identity on Scientific Knowledge Production
  • HIST 200 Doing History: An Introduction
  • HIST 252 Monuments and Memory in US History
  • HIST 305 Women and Gender in Pre-Modern Europe
  • HIST 307 The Crusades
  • HIST 375 History of Sport in US Society
  • HIST 383 Borderlands: La Frontera: The U.S.-Mexico Border
  • HON 214 Interrogating Inequality
  • HON 401 What is America?
  • HUM 368 A Precious Barbarism: Enlightenment, Ideology, and Colonialism
  • IPE 101 Power and Wealth in Global Affairs: Introduction to International Political Economy
  • LAS 100 Introduction to Latin American Studies
  • LTS 200 Latina/o America: A Critical Introduction to Latina/o Studies
  • LTS 300 Latina/o Literatures
  • MUS 221 Jazz History
  • MUS 223 Women in Music
  • MUS 227 Musical History of Tacoma
  • MUS 234 Introduction to Ethnomusicology
  • MUS 330 Opera: Based on a True Story
  • MUS 393 Introduction to Secondary Music Education
  • PG 104 Introduction to Political Theory
  • PG 315 Law and Society
  • PG 345 Intersectionality as Theory and Method
  • PG 346 Race in the American Political Imagination
  • PHIL 106 Language, Knowledge, and Power
  • PHIL 107 Philosophy of Disability
  • PHIL 389 Race and Philosophy
  • PHIL 390 Gender and Philosophy
  • PSYC 265 Cross-Cultural Psychology
  • PSYC 373 Perceiving Self and Other
  • REL 202 Introduction to the Study of World Religions
  • REL 222 Antisemitism and Islamophobia
  • REL 265 What is Justice?
  • REL 270 Religion, Activism and Social Justice
  • REL 302 Ethics and the Other
  • REL 307 Prisons, Gender and Education
  • REL 323 Gender and Sexuality in Muslim Societies
  • REL 340 Imagining Religion: Scholars, Theories, and Cases in the Study of Religion
  • SOAN 101 Introduction to Sociology
  • SOAN 102 Introduction to Anthropology
  • SOAN 215 Race and Ethnic Relations
  • SOAN 222 Culture and Society of Southeast Asia
  • SOAN 370 Disability, Identity, and Power
  • SPAN 216 (Wo)men of Maize: Food Cultures of the Americas
  • SPAN 221 Introduction to Iberian Cultures
  • SPAN 329 Literaturx Latinx
  • SPAN 414 The Returning Resistance: Memory, Gender, and Nationalisms in Spain
  • SPAN 415 Bitter Flavors of the Americas: Sugar, Coffee & Bananas
  • STHS 330 Evolution and Society Since Darwin
  • THTR 252 World Theatre II: Asian Theatres
4. Satisfy the 200-400 Connections Core Requirement. Students must take two Connections courses at the 200 level or above.

The Curriculum Committee approves courses fulfilling the 200 level Connections Core requirement based on the following rubric:

Learning Objectives

CONN 2XX classes address a problem or topic using (a) questions and methods beyond those deployed by a single discipline; and (b) materials and assignments from at least two distinct disciplinary perspectives. Assignments largely involve sources prescribed by the instructor rather than sources students search for and identify themselves.

To understand distinctive disciplinary approaches to knowledge, students will:

  1. Distinguish the types of questions that different disciplinary lenses bring to a topic
  2. Explore the methodological and theoretical tools of different disciplines
  3. Identify assumptions and values of the different disciplinary perspectives

To evaluate relationships among different disciplinary approaches to knowledge, students will:

  1. Uncover the way different disciplines complement or act in tension with one another
  2. Identify and critique limitations of specific disciplinary approaches/methods
  3. Evaluate the consequences of approaching a topic with a particular set of questions or methodological tools

Guidelines

To understand distinctive disciplinary approaches to knowledge, these courses will:

  1. Introduce two or more distinct disciplinary approaches and their methods through guided inquiry led by the professor
  2. Consider questions posed by the respective disciplinary approaches
  3. Include historicization and contextualization of the disciplines

To evaluate relationships among different disciplinary approaches to knowledge, these courses will:

  1. Offer compare/contrast exercises to analyze a particular topic based on different disciplines’ methodological and theoretical tools
  2. Examine different cases that illustrate the opportunities and limitations of each disciplinary approach to a question
  3. Provide opportunities to reflect on the value of exploring questions from more than one disciplinary perspective

The Curriculum Committee approves courses fulfilling the 300-400 Level Connections Core requirement based on the following rubric:

Learning Objectives

Students in Connections courses develop their understanding of the interrelationship of fields of knowledge by exploring connections and contrasts between various disciplines with respect to disciplinary methodology and subject matter.

Guidelines

  1. Connections courses draw upon the curricula of either established disciplines or the University’s interdisciplinary programs. These courses may involve the collaboration of faculty from more than one department or individual faculty with interdisciplinary expertise and interests.
  2. In the Connections course, students engage the interdisciplinary process by
    • identifying multiple disciplinary approaches to a subject;
    • analyzing the subject from these perspectives;
    • participating in cross-disciplinary dialogue; and
    • exploring the integration or synthesis of these approaches to foster understanding of the subject.
  3. Connections courses explore these interdisciplinary issues at a level of sophistication expected of an upper-division course. These courses may have appropriate prerequisites, so long as they do not unduly limit the audience in numbers or the level of disciplinary sophistication.
  4. The upper-division Connections course must be taken at Puget Sound.

See “Connections” in the “Courses of Study” section of the Bulletin for a complete list of courses that fulfill this requirement.

200-400 level Connections courses may fulfill major/minor/emphasis requirements, KNOW, and Experiential Learning requirements; they may not fulfill Divisional requirements.

5. Complete the Language Core Requirement. Courses taken credit/no credit will not fulfill Language requirements. Two courses are required for all students, with the following exceptions:

  1. Students with a high school diploma from a school where the primary language of instruction was other than English do not need to take further courses.
  2. Heritage learners (defined by Valdés, 2001 as “a student of language who is raised in a home where a non-English language is spoken, who speaks or merely understands the heritage language, and who is to some degree bilingual in English and the heritage language”) are required to take only one course.
  3. Students with AP language exam scores of 4 or 5 or IB higher level language scores of 5, 6, or 7 are required to take only one course.

Transfer students may use transfer credit to fulfill one or both courses. Each approved transfer course must be a minimum of 4 quarter credits or 3 semester credits.

Courses fulfilling the Language requirement are approved by the Curriculum Committee based on the guidelines listed in the following rubric:

Learning Objectives

Courses meeting the language requirement prepare students for a life of global citizenship by engaging students with oral and written skills in a language other than English.

Guidelines

Courses fulfilling the language requirement will

  1. help students understand how different languages lead to different ways of interpreting the world
  2. deepen students’ understanding of alternative perspectives, values, behaviors, and traditions through linguistic, historical, and cultural study
  3. engage students in exploring commonality and difference among multiple languages and cultures to encourage deeper understanding of one’s own language(s) and culture(s).

Non-English language (Chinese, French, German, Greek, Japanese, Latin, Spanish) courses numbered 100-109, 200-209, 300-309 and 400-409 count towards the Language Core but not the Arts & Humanities Division Requirement. Courses numbered 190-199, 290-299, 390-399, or 490-499 satisfy the Arts & Humanities Division Requirement, but not the Language Core. Courses numbered 110-189, 210-289, 310-389, and 410-489 count towards both Division and Language requirements.

In addition, the following courses taught in English have been approved for the requirement: ARTH 371, CONN 330, FREN 391, GERM 350, GERM 355, GERM 392, GLAM 120.

Language core courses may fulfill major/minor/emphasis requirements, KNOW, Experiential Learning, and Divisional requirements.

Divisional Requirement — Detailed

All one-unit courses (or minimum 0.67 credit for transfer students) in the departments listed below fulfill the corresponding divisional requirement‡. Courses at Puget Sound may not be in more than one division, and divisions are defined by the course’s departmental prefix (see below). Division courses may count toward major, minor, and emphasis curricula, the Language Core, as well as KNOW and Experiential Learning cores. Connections courses and CCS courses are not within Divisions, and may not count toward the Divisional Requirement. Courses taken credit/no credit will not fulfill Divisional requirements.

Natural Scientific and Mathematical Perspectives

  • Biology
  • Chemistry
  • Earth & Environmental Science
  • Exercise Science
  • Geology
  • Mathematics and Computer Science
  • Neuroscience
  • Physics

Social Scientific and Historical Perspectives

  • African American Studies
  • Business
  • Communication Studies
  • Crime, Law and Justice Economics
  • Education Studies
  • Environmental Policy & Decision Making
  • Global Development Studies
  • History
  • International Political Economy
  • Politics and Government
  • Sociology and Anthropology
  • Science, Technology, Health, and Society
  • Psychology

Artistic and Humanistic Perspectives

  • Art and Art History
  • Asian Languages and Cultures (Chinese* and Japanese*)
  • Asian Studies
  • Bioethics
  • Greek, Latin, & Ancient Mediterranean Studies (Greek* and Latin*)
  • Environmental Arts & Humanities
  • English
  • French and Francophone Studies*
  • Gender and Queer Studies German Studies*
  • Hispanic Studies*
  • Interdisciplinary Humanities
  • Latin American Studies
  • Latina/o Studies
  • Music
  • Philosophy
  • Religion, Spirituality, and Society
  • Theatre Arts

‡Courses that count toward the Connections core requirements may not count for Divisional requirements. Although most Connections courses have the CONN prefix, some have departmental prefixes; these courses count toward the Connections core requirements and may count toward major/minor requirements, but do not count toward Divisional requirements.

*In languages (Chinese, French, German, Greek, Japanese, Latin, Spanish) courses numbered 100-109, 200-209, 300-309 and 400-409 count towards the Language Core but not the Arts & Humanities Division Requirement. Courses numbered 190-199, 290-299, 390-399, or 490-499 satisfy the Arts & Humanities Division Requirement, but not the Language Core. Courses numbered 110-189, 210-289, 310-389, and 410-489 count towards both Division and Language requirements.

The following prefixes are used to denote course subjects:

  • AFAM African American Studies
  • ARTH Art History
  • ARTS Studio Art
  • ASIA Asian Studies
  • BIOE Bioethics
  • BIOL Biology
  • BUS Business and Leadership
  • CHEM Chemistry
  • CHIN Chinese
  • COMM Communication Studies
  • CONN Connections
  • CSCI Computer Science
  • CWL Center for Writing and Learning
  • ECON Economics
  • EDUC Education
  • ENGL English
  • ENVP Environmental Policy and Decision Making
  • ENVH Environmental Arts and Humanities
  • ENVS Earth and Environmental Science
  • EXLN Experiential Learning
  • EXSC Exercise Science
  • FREN French Studies
  • GQS Gender and Queer Studies
  • GEOL Geology
  • GERM German Studies
  • GLAM Greek, Latin, and Ancient Mediterranean Studies
  • GDS Global Development Studies
  • GRK Greek
  • HIST History
  • HON Honors
  • HUM Humanities
  • IPE International Political Economy
  • JAPN Japanese
  • LAS Latin American Studies
  • LTS Latina/o Studies
  • LAT Latin
  • MATH Mathematics
  • MUS Music
  • NRSC Neuroscience
  • PE Physical Education
  • PG Politics and Government
  • PHIL Philosophy
  • PHYS Physics
  • PSYC Psychology
  • REL Religion, Spirituality, and Society
  • SIM Special Interdisciplinary Major
  • SOAN Sociology and Anthropology
  • SPAN Hispanic Studies
  • STAF Student Affairs
  • STHS Science, Technology, Health, and Society
  • THTR Theatre Arts

Major and Minor Requirements — Detailed

Major

Students declare their major area of study by the end of the sophomore year through the Office of Academic Advising. One major is required of all graduates. The specific requirements for a major are established by the department or program and approved by the Curriculum Committee. Each student must have the major program approved prior to graduation.

An academic major requires a minimum of 8 units within a department or program, of which at least 4 units must be in residence. A 2.00 minimum cumulative GPA is required in all major courses in the department or program. Additionally, a 2.00 minimum GPA is required in all department or program major courses in combination with any ancillary courses required. Some departments or programs may require a grade point average higher than 2.00 for completion of a major. All major courses, including those in excess, will apply to the major grade point average. Student Academic Requirements reports outline grade point average requirements in detail. Courses graded with the credit/no credit option may not be counted toward major requirements. Students must meet the requirements for a major as published in the Bulletin unless a requirement is specifically modified by the department/program. Any such modification must be recorded in writing and sent by the chair/director to the Office of the Registrar. Major(s) must be completed before the degree is awarded.

Multiple Majors

Students may declare more than one major. For a student who completes majors associated with different bachelor’s degrees, the major declared as the “first” major designates the degree.

Students may not earn multiple majors from the same department, school, or program, with the following exceptions:

  1. Computer Science and Mathematics
  2. Chinese and Japanese
  3. Art History and Studio Art

Minor

A minor is not required for the degree. Students declare their minor through the Office of Academic Advising. The specific requirements for a minor are established by the department or program and approved by the Curriculum Committee.

An academic minor requires a minimum of 5 units, of which at least 3 units must be in residence. A 2.00 minimum cumulative GPA is required in all minor courses in the department or program. Some departments or programs may require a grade point average higher than 2.00 for completion of the minor. All minor courses, including those in excess, will apply to the minor grade point average. Student Academic Requirements reports outline grade point average requirements in detail. Courses graded with the credit/no credit option may not be counted toward minor requirements. Students must meet the requirements for a minor as published in the Bulletin unless a requirement is specifically modified by the department or program. Any such modification must be recorded in writing and sent by the chair/director to the Office of the Registrar. Minor(s) must be completed before the degree is awarded.

A student may not major and minor in the same department or program and may not earn multiple minors from the same department, with the following exceptions:

  1. Students may major or minor in Computer Science and may major or minor in Mathematics
  2. Students may major and/or minor in different languages.
  3. Students may major in Art History and minor in Studio Art, or major in Studio Art and minor in Art History, or minor in both Studio Art and Art History
  4. Students may major in Physics and minor in Biophysics

Simultaneous Baccalaureate Degrees

Students who wish to earn two baccalaureate degrees simultaneously must complete:

  1. university requirements for a baccalaureate degree with two majors,
  2. a minimum of 40 total units and a minimum of 24 units in residence,

For purposes of other academic policies, simultaneously earned degrees may both be considered “first” degrees.

Second Baccalaureate Degree

Students who wish to earn a second baccalaureate degree must complete a minimum of 8 additional academic and graded units in residence subsequent to the awarding of the first baccalaureate degree. Students are required to complete departmental requirements current as of the date of post-baccalaureate enrollment. Each additional baccalaureate degree requires 8 more discrete academic and graded units earned in residence.

Participation in Commencement Ceremonies

Commencement is held once a year in the month of May. In general, a student participates in the Commencement nearest the time of completion of requirements for a degree. Students must apply for a degree by the deadline date for the ceremony in order to be considered for Department Honors and to be listed in the printed Commencement program. Students who are currently on suspension, dismissal or who have been expelled may not participate in the Commencement Ceremony.

Honors

University Honors (cum laude, magna cum laude, summa cum laude) are awarded to first baccalaureate degree candidates. To qualify, a student must have at least 16 graded units taken on campus at Puget Sound and a minimum cumulative grade point average from the University of Puget Sound of 3.70, 3.80, or 3.90 respectively.

Honors in the Major are awarded to those first baccalaureate degree candidates who have been recommended by their major department in recognition of outstanding achievement in the area of the major. Only 10 percent of a department’s graduates will receive Honors in the Major. Students graduating with a Special Interdisciplinary Major (SIM) will receive Honors in the Major if they earn a grade point average of 3.70 or higher in courses required for the SIM.

The citation of Coolidge Otis Chapman Honors Scholar is awarded at graduation to provide recognition for outstanding work done through the university’s Honors Program. This honor, named in memory of a former distinguished member of the faculty, is awarded for completion of all requirements of the Honors Program, including a bachelor’s thesis.

The Robert Trimble Distinguished Asia Scholar is awarded at graduation to students who demonstrated academic excellence in the Asian Studies Minor and have completed all requirements for this honor as outlined in the Bulletin.

Departmental, School, and Program Guidelines

  1. Each program, department, and school within the University will review its academic program regularly to ensure that the primary educational objectives of the University are being addressed. This re-examination should not be cursory nor designed merely to affirm the status quo. Courses should be revised, if necessary, to address University and departmental objectives.
  2. Each program, department, and school will maintain at least one course suitable for, but not restricted to, the non-major, for whom that course may comprise the sole exposure to the field. The course should consider methodology and assumptions as well as substantive disciplinary knowledge.
  3. Each student should become familiar with values, assumptions, and perspectives conditioned by cultures different from their own. Wherever it is appropriate and possible, courses should consider the subject matter in a multicultural context.
  4. Since the University supports and encourages writing in all disciplines, students need to have significant writing experiences whenever appropriate across the curriculum.
  5. Writing in the Major. Because the Critical Conversation Seminars anticipate further development of writing abilities throughout the undergraduate years, it is appropriate that all students should encounter substantive writing experiences within their major fields of study. Each department, school, or program with an undergraduate major shall demonstrate to the Curriculum Committee that it contains significant writing expectations within its curricular requirements. (Please see Addendum A of the Departmental Curriculum Review Self-Study Guide for guidelines.)
  6. To encourage study outside the major field, the following limitations will govern the requirements imposed by each program, department, or school:
    1. No more than 10 units may be required in the major field.
    2. No more than 16 total units may be required in the major and supporting fields.
    3. Exceptions will be permissible only with the approval of the Provost and the Curriculum Committee.
  7. An academic minor must consist of a minimum of five, but no more than six, units within the minor area.
  8. All courses and requirements shall be reviewed and approved by the Curriculum Committee.

Undergraduate Degrees

The University of Puget Sound awards three undergraduate degrees: Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Music, and Bachelor of Science.

Students may complete one of the following majors while pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree:

  • African American Studies
  • Art History
  • Business
  • Chemistry
  • Chinese
  • Communication Studies
  • Economics
  • English
  • Environmental Arts and Humanities
  • Environmental Policy and Decision-Making
  • French and Francophone Studies
  • French International Affairs
  • Gender and Queer Studies
  • German Studies
  • German and East European Culture and History
  • Greek, Latin, and Ancient Mediterranean Studies
  • Hispanic International Studies
  • Hispanic Studies (Language, Culture, and Literature)
  • History
  • International Political Economy
  • Japanese
  • Latina/o Studies
  • Liberal Studies
  • Music
  • Music Songwriting
  • Neuroscience Philosophy
  • Physics (Pre-Engineering)
  • Politics and Government
  • Psychology
  • Religion, Spirituality, and Society
  • Science, Technology, Health, and Society
  • Sociology and Anthropology
  • Special Interdisciplinary Major
  • Studio Art
  • Theatre Arts

Students may complete one of the following majors while pursuing a Bachelor of Music degree:

  • Music Education
  • Performance

Students may complete one of the following majors while pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree:

  • Biology
  • Biochemistry
  • Chemistry
  • Computer Science
  • Earth and Environmental Science
  • Economics
  • Exercise Science
  • Mathematics
  • Molecular and Cellular Biology
  • Natural Science
  • Physics
  • Psychology
  • Special Interdisciplinary Major

Minors Offered

  • African American Studies
  • Art History
  • Asian Studies
  • Bioethics
  • Biology
  • Biophysics
  • Business
  • Chemistry
  • Chinese
  • Communication Studies
  • Computer Science
  • Consciousness, Creativity, and Meaning (Honors Program)
  • Crime, Law, and Justice Studies
  • Economics
  • Education Studies
  • English
  • Environmental Policy and Decision-Making
  • Exercise Science
  • French
  • German Studies
  • Gender and Queer Studies
  • Global Development Studies
  • Greek, Latin, and Ancient Mediterranean Studies
  • History
  • Japanese
  • Latin American Studies
  • Latina/o Studies
  • Mathematics
  • Music
  • Neuroscience
  • Philosophy
  • Physics
  • Politics and Government
  • Religion, Spirituality, and Society
  • Science, Technology, Health, and Society
  • Sociology and Anthropology
  • Spanish
  • Studio Art
  • Theatre Arts

Interdisciplinary Emphasis Offered

  • Interdisciplinary Humanities